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 Newtown send out a warning The Corkman NEWTOWNSHANDRUM 3-19 BALLINHASSIG 1-5 | |||
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By Noel Horgan
CONFIRMATION that Newtownshandrum’s bid for a second consecutive crown won’t be easily foiled was provided last Saturday evening at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Since winning the first of their three titles in 2000, Newtown have produced numerous top-class displays, but it would be no exaggeration to suggest that this can be favourably compared with the best of them.
Ballinhassig’s prospects went rapidly into decline as Newtown clicked into top gear in the last ten minutes before interval, notching 1-3 without reply to finish the first half 2-9 to 0-6 to the good.
It was sufficient to severely dent the self-belief of the South East men, who became completely demoralised after Newtown made the early running on the resumption to smoothly stretch their lead to 13 points by the 37th minute.
The gap had been extended to a massive 19 points before Ballinhassig finally broke their second half duck in the 50th minute when goalkeeper Martin Coleman rattled the net from a close-in free, and, in truth, the difference in class was glaringly obvious once Newtown began to fire on all cylinders before the break.
It was indeed a chastening experience for Ballinhassig, but perhaps they can console themselves with the thought that not a team in the county could have lived with Newtown on this form.
Not surprisingly, the O’Connor twins, Ben and Jerry, were inspirational figures for Newtown, and, fittingly, they were the architects of the goal which effectively finished the game as a contest in the 20th minute.
After Jerry delivered a long ball in around the Ballinhassig square, full forward James Bowles managed to break it down to Ben, who duly made the most of the golden opportunity.
That left Newtown, who were never headed at any stage, leading by 2-6 to 0-6, and, predictably, Ballinhassig, having made light of the concession of an earlier goal, were unable to recover after shipping a second major body-blow.
Newtown’s first goal was scored by Cathal Naughton, who, taking a pass from Ryan Clifford on the left wing, completed a strong run with an excellent strike that made it 1-3 to 0-2 after nine minutes.
Credit to Ballinhassig, they shrugged off that setback, and, with Brendan Lombard hurling strongly at centre back, and full forward Fintan O’Leary giving Newtown full back Brendan Mulcahy a torrid time, they were well in touch after O’Leary landed his fourth point from play in the 19th minute.
Ben O’Connor’s goal irreparably damaged Ballinhassig’s resolve, however, and it triggered off a late flourish by Newtown which was highlighted by a John Paul King point resulting from a typically purposeful and cohesive raid involving Pat Mulcahy, Jerry O’Connor, Cathal Naughton and Donal Mulcahy.
The razor sharp Ben O’Connor, who cut over a sideline ball in the second half, wound up with a personal tally of 1-8, 1-4 from play, which would normally be enough to make him an automatic choice for the man-of-the-match award.
But Jerry O’Connor also had legitimate claims on that rating as he was absolutely magnificent at midfield, playing a part in the lead-up to the majority of Newtown’s scores, including their third goal which was brilliantly finished by James Bowles after Cathal Naughton had made the final pass.
That came in the 50th minute, and it pushed Newtown 3-16 to 0-6 ahead, an advantage which didn’t flatter them as they were the complete masters in the second half when their superb team-work allowed them to toy with the opposition.
Despite the admirable efforts of centre back Brendan Lombard, Ballinhassig never looked comfortable in defence where corner backs Stephen McCarthy and Brendan Coleman were in trouble from the outset against Newtown’s Ben O’Connor and Ryan Clifford respectively.
McCarthy and Coleman swapped positions after about ten minutes, as did James Ahern and Michael Ahern, who were also under pressure from an early stage in the wing back berths.
Those changes failed to bring about any appreciable improvement in the Ballinhassig rearguard where Declan Healy just about shaded his duel with Newtown full forward James Bowles before the break when, besides Fintan O’Leary, wing forward Declan O’Sullivan also had his moments up front for losers.
Bowles made a significant impact after the interval, however, as Newtown, on top in all sectors, cruised to a comprehensive win which featured other standout displays from Dermot Gleeson and Pat Mulcahy in defence.
Scorers – Newtown: B. O’Connor 1-8 (0-4 frees), J. Bowles 1-3, C. Naughton 1-0, JP King 0-3, R. Clifford 0-2, Jerry O’Connor, S O’Riordan and M. Farrell 0-1 each.
Ballinhassig: F. O’Leary 0-4, (D. Dineen 0-3 frees), M. Coleman 1-0 free, D. O’Sullivan 0-1.
Newtown: P. Morrissey; B. O’Mahony, B. Mulcahy, D. Gleeson; AT O’Brien, P. Mulcahy, P. Noonan; John O’Connor, Jerry O’Connor; D. Mulcahy, JP King, C. Naughton; R. Clifford, J. Bowles, B. O’Connor. Subs: M. Farrell for O’Brien, S. O’Riordan for B. O’Connor (blood sub), O’Connor for O’Riordan, W. O’Mahony for King.
Ballinhassig: M. Coleman; S. McCarthy, D. Healy, B. Coleman; J. Ahern, B. Lombard, M. Ahern; B. O’Sullivan, S. Dineen; D. O’Sullivan, D. Dineen, D. Duggan; P. O’Sullivan, F. O’Leary, D. O’Callaghan. Subs: D. Brennan for S. Dineen (injured), J. Mullaney for O’Callaghan, P. Lombard for P. O’Sullivan.
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